Eighteen California legislators submitted a joint letter on November 25 to the California Public Utilities Fee (CPUC) relating to delays to activate customer-owned photo voltaic and storage on the state’s two largest utilities. The letter urges the CPUC to carry Pacific Fuel & Electrical (PG&E) and Southern California Edison (SCE) accountable for repeatedly lacking state-mandated timelines.
“Californians deserve an power system that accelerates our local weather targets – not one caught in delays,” stated Assemblymember Daybreak Addis (Morro Bay). “We lead on clear power, however PG&E and SCE need to cease slowing us down. Each missed deadline prices households and companies cash and stalls our local weather progress. With main federal timelines approaching, the CPUC should implement the principles and guarantee utilities ship.”
Prospects in search of to put in photo voltaic panels and batteries should request utility approval to activate their system. This approval course of, often known as interconnection, is ruled by Rule 21, which establishes mandated timelines for every step within the course of. PG&E and SCE routinely ignore these timelines and trigger in depth delays for photo voltaic installations.
The CPUC established a normal in 2020 that utilities meet the established timelines for 95% of tasks and ordered the utilities to submit quarterly studies on their efficiency. These studies present that three steps of the assessment course of have compliance charges as little as 27% to 45%, and timelines for 3 different steps are met solely 53% to 81% of the time. The CPUC now has practically 5 years of knowledge exhibiting routine violations, however motion to implement these guidelines has not occurred.
“Guidelines will not be guidelines if an organization is aware of they’ll get away with ignoring the necessities,” stated Kevin Luo, coverage and market improvement supervisor on the California Photo voltaic & Storage Affiliation. “PG&E and SCE are able to following the principles and would comply if there have been penalties.”
These delays gradual the state’s progress in the direction of its clear power targets and lift prices for purchasers putting in photo voltaic and storage. Whereas clients anticipate the utilities, they proceed to hold loans and pay curiosity for unpredictably lengthy durations of time. They’re additionally compelled to proceed paying excessive charges to the utilities whereas their clear power investments stay stranded.
The state has many crucial targets that rely on well timed motion by the utilities, together with the speedy energization of recent EV charging stations and housing developments. Whereas the state has solely not too long ago begun to determine mandated timelines for these targets, the longstanding lack of enforcement for interconnection timelines bears ailing for utility compliance extra broadly.
The CPUC is at present reviewing what measures are warranted to enhance utility timeline efficiency. A call is anticipated within the coming months.
Information merchandise from CALSSA
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